R I P Immigration Reform

There is no possible way that Republicans will pass it, so R.I.P. Immigration Reform.

A compromise in the Senate to waste even more money in an attempt at ‘securing’ our borders, has not appeased the extremists on the right. They do not want any form of immigration reform passed. They use smokescreens such as fences and security cameras to justify their opposition to legalizing 11 million men women and children living in our country.

Senators John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) said Monday that they will vote against a border security compromise fashioned by Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.). And Senator Richard Burr, (R-N.C.), also opposes the bill, but has not come out publicly against it.

Republicans have an attitude of ‘voters be damned.’ Public opinion heavily favors a complete rework of our archaic and unrealistic immigration plan, but they don’t care what Americans want. They’re concerned about lobbyists who fund their campaigns, and the thousands of companies that want to continue paying illegal immigrants ‘under the table,’ and not have to pay payroll taxes.

“I cannot support an amendment cobbled together at the eleventh hour that doubles the border patrol without knowing how much it will cost or whether it is even the right strategy,” Cornyn said in a statement.

Cornyn had crafted his own bill whose principal concern was border security, and made it nearly impossible to give those concerned a path to citizenship.

“The same tired approach of crafting a piece of legislation that does nothing more than throw money at the problem simply won’t cut it,” he said.

Johanns is a loss for the support of the bill. He is retiring at the end of 2014, and, because he will not be running for reelection, he was believed to be a Republican whose vote would help ensure passage.

“I recognize our system is broken but the solution begins with border security so we aren’t back in this same spot a decade from now,” Johanns said. “Unfortunately, this amendment’s promise of secure borders is not airtight. Additionally, several organizations representing our border agents and related personnel say this bill weakens national security and prevents them from doing their jobs.”

And, of course, Rand Paul of Kentucky said he will vote against it as well.

Excuses and smokescreens, that’s all we’re getting.

There still remain enough votes to pass it through the Senate, but most politicos believe that it will die a sudden death before it hits the House floor.

Any hopes that Republicans had of garnering a portion of the Hispanic vote in 2014 are now in a heap on the House floor. I think it’s fair to say that the GOP of today is out of touch with mainstream America. And it’s also fair to say R.I.P. immigration reform.